Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with White Beans, Spinach, and Prosciutto

I  know it has been a long time since I have posted a recipe, but I actually had no idea it has been close to six weeks! I have been slammed with school work, my internship, home renovations, and spending time with my little toddler, who will be 2 in less than 2 weeks!  I have not cooked as much as I like to because when I get home in the evenings, all I want to do is hang out with Wendy and Greg. I am on spring break now, and the first few days of spring break were spent in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, and now that I am back home I am excited to have time to cook healthy and delicious meals for my family again. While on the long trip down to North Carolina, I went through an old Self Magazine I found, and I came across a few recipes that caught my attention. The other night we did salmon with a butter, lemon, and rosemary sauce, and these mushrooms were served as our tasty side. It was so filling! Wendy gobbled down the filling of the mushrooms, and Greg commented on how much he liked them. These stuffed portobello mushrooms are loaded with protein and fiber, and they are packed with several savory flavors. They start with a brush of olive oil and balsamic, and they are filled with a buttery mixture of shallot, garlic, rosemary, parsley, fresh black pepper, white beans, prosciutto, and spinach. Then you top them off with some Panko and Parmesan, toss them into the oven so they get nice and crunchy, and dig in! You can eat one of the stuffed mushrooms as a small meal or serve them as a side to chicken or fish. Enjoy!

Recipe for Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with White Beans, Spinach & Prosciutto 

INGREDIENTS:
4 large portobello mushrooms, with the stems and gills removed
2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp. of balsamic vineger
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp. of fresh rosemary leaves
1 can of great northern or cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. of chicken broth
2 Tbsp. of fresh parsley leaves
3 ounces of prosciutto, sliced thin
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Mix 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar together in a small bowl. Stir in some salt and pepper. Put the mushrooms cap side up on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush each cap lightly with the olive oil mixture. Place in the oven, and cook for 8 minutes. 
While the mushrooms are cooking, put the butter and the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into a large pan and set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the chopped shallot, garlic, and rosemary leaves. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots have softened. Then stir in the beans and the chicken broth, remove from heat. Put the mixture into a medium bowl and add in the parsley and the prosciutto. Put the pan you used back over the stovetop on medium-low heat. Add in the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 - 2 minutes.
Once mushrooms have cooked for 8 minutes in oven, remove from the oven and carefully drain the liquid off. If needed, very carefully transfer mushrooms to a plate, wipe down the baking sheet, and line with new parchment paper (I decided to do this). Turn mushrooms over and stuff with the beans and spinach. In a small bowl, toss together the Panko bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Evenly distribute over top of the mushrooms, and then drizzle each with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top of each. Place back into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are browned and crispy. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes, and then serve.

You can serve as a side to chicken or fish, or eat it as a light lunch. They taste good leftover, too! Greg said he liked them even better leftover, because they were even more flavorful! I think these would also be good with bacon or crumbled sausage in the stuffing. If you want to make it vegetarian, leave out the meat and add a little extra Parmesan.

Recipe adapted from: Self Magazine, November 2014 issue

Spinach Balls

Please visit my new blog, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the spinach balls recipe. 

Super Salsa for the Super Bowl!

Happy Super Bowl weekend to everyone! Today I'm sharing a recipe for a salsa that will be great to make for a Super Bowl party (or any other kind of party). I first posted this recipe back in June, but I think it is worth a repost. A friend of mine mentioned yesterday on my Facebook page that she made the salsa, and it made me think about sharing the recipe again. This salsa is not for those of you who can't handle a little heat - it has a lot of KICK to it. For those of you can handle the heat,  tomorrow you can sit back and kick it with chips, super salsa, and the Super Bowl. But don't stay up too late tomorrow night because I checked the calendar, and Super Bowl Monday is NOT a day off from work. Darn!

Recipe for Super Salsa

INGREDIENTS:
2 jalapenos, deveined & seeded and coarsely chopped (take out more seeds for less heat, less for more heat)
3 cloves of garlic, cut in half
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 of a smallish yellow onion
2 Tbsp. of red wine vinegar
3 large tomatoes
1 Tbsp. of cumin powder
1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
1 - 2 Tbsp. of cilantro leaves
Juice of one lime

DIRECTIONS:
Add the jalapeno and garlic to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add all of the other ingredients to the food processor and pulse until the salsa is at your desired chunkiness. Put salsa in a bowl and cover. Put it in the fridge for a couple hours before serving so the flavors can marinate together. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats

This salsa is a great as the filling in baked Vegetarian Taquitos.  (shown above)

Quinoa, Corn & Black Bean Wraps (or dip)

The other week I went over to a friend's house for a quick visit. She had made a yummy quinoa dip that we ate with chips, and she told me she would email me the recipe. I made the dip at the beach for lunch two times, and then this week I made it for dinner - but I served it in tortillas to make wraps. After making it for dinner, I planned on taking a picture the following day for the blog. Well, Greg had eaten the rest of it for lunch - so I had no picture, unless I wanted to take a picture of the empty bowl he left out...!

I decided to make it again this weekend. Luckily it's really easy to make and doesn't take much time to prepare. I love this meal because it's super healthy and filling. You can serve it for dinner or you can serve it as an appetizer with chips. Greg and I ate it with chips yesterday for lunch. It makes a lot, so if you make it as a dip, consider serving it at a party! Enjoy.

Recipe for Quinoa, Corn & Black Bean Wraps (or dip)

INGREDIENTS:

We ate the meal as a dip for lunch the next day! 

1 cup of quinoa, cooked and cooled
2 cans of black beans, drained of juices
Corn kernels from 3 medium ears of corn
3 limes, juiced
1 tsp. of olive oil
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
1/8 tsp. of cumin powder
a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves, torn in smallish pieces
1 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 - 2 avocados, chopped in 1-inch chunks
6-inch soft flour tortillas (if doing wraps)
Your favorite tortilla chips (if making as a dip)

DIRECTIONS:
Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Once quinoa is fully cooked and drained of excess water, pour it in a separate bowl and set aside to cool.

While quinoa is cooling, use a shearing knife to carefully cut the corn kernels off the cob. Combine the black beans and corn kernels in a large bowl. Once the quinoa has cooled, add it to the bowl with the beans and corn. Add the juice of the 3 limes to the bowl. Add in the tsp. of olive oil. Sprinkle the mixture with the kosher salt and cumin powder. Add in a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Add in the 3/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Stir the mixture to combine all of the ingredients. Cover the bowl, and set in the fridge for about 45 minutes (to allow flavors to meld together). Right before serving, chop up the tomatoes and avocado and add to the bowl. Mix.

If serving wraps, spoon 2 - 3 tablespoons of the mixture down the middle of a tortilla. Sprinkle with extra salt, if desired. Fold the tortillas and serve.

If serving dip, sprinkle the mixture with extra salt, if desired. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Recipe Adapted from: Foodie Gone Healthy

NOTE:
If you plan on eating more for leftovers the next day, it is a good idea to actually not add the tomatoes and avocados to the entire mixture. Just top the wraps or dip with the tomato and avocado before serving. Tomatoes and avocados don't hold up too well in the fridge overnight! Add extra tomato and avocado the next day before serving again.

*Love quinoa? You might like this CPK-inspired quinoa salad with arugula.*